The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/699450
1. JOE THUNEY vs. SYRACUSE, 2015 In one of his final home games, the fifth-year senior played as close to perfection as a left tackle can get. He did not give up a sack or miss an assignment against the Orange, while the Pack piled up 511 total yards of offense, including 276 rushing despite missing starting running back Matthew Dayes. NC State rolled to a 42-29 win. The ACC awarded Thuney as its Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts. 2. MIKE ROSE at SYRACUSE, 2014 This game, during his redshirt junior season, may have marked the moment he broke out as one of the top pass rushers in the ACC. Rose lived in the backfield, recording four tackles for loss and three sacks, and forced a fumble, helping NC State to a 24-17 road win that snapped a 12-game ACC losing streak. In the prior eight games that season, Rose had a combined 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack. 3. NIKLAS SADE vs. RICHMOND, 2013 The pressure was on Sade with just 33 seconds remaining and the Pack trailing 21-20. The senior rose to the occasion by making a 48-yard field goal that would propel NC State to a 23-21 win in head coach Dave Doeren's second game on the Wolfpack sideline. Sade had earlier made field goals from 46 and 19 yards, and he also booted all six of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. 4. BRANDON PITTMAN at DUKE, 2013 The unquestionable highlight of Pittman's career came in Durham. He registered a career-best 14 tackles, including three for loss and a sack. Duke won 38-20, but that was largely due to three non-offensive touchdowns by safety DeVon Edwards, who returned a kickoff and two interceptions for scores in the fourth quarter. Pittman and the defense held up strong against the Blue Devils. 5. MIKE ROSE at WAKE FOREST, 2015 The long losing streak in Winston-Salem, which extended back to 2001 and included six games, finally ended this past season, and a major reason why was a defensive line led by Rose that created constant havoc in the Deacs' backfield. Rose had three tackles, all of them sacks. He became just the third player in school history (joining first-round NFL Draft picks Mario Williams and Manny Lawson) to have at least three sacks in a game on multiple occasions. 6. NIKLAS SADE at MARYLAND, 2012 Richmond was not the only time Sade was called upon in the clutch. During his sopho - more season, he was asked to kick a 43-yarder with 32 seconds left with the Pack trailing 18-17, and he delivered in the final game that NCSU played at Maryland's Byrd Stadium before the Terps bolted for the Big Ten. Sade made both field goal attempts that evening, the second proving to be a game-winner in a 20-18 victory. 7. T.Y. MCGILL at MARYLAND, 2012 The defense held its ground all game against the Terps, and McGill was a major reason why. He finished with a career-best eight tackles, including two sacks in his only multi-sack performance at NCSU. He helped the Pack hold Maryland to 347 total yards, including only 40 on the ground. 8. RODMAN NOEL at CLEMSON, 2014 The game itself was ugly. The Tigers stampeded NC State in a 41-0 contest that was every bit as lopsided as the score indicated. However, Noel was one of the few effective Wolfpack players on this afternoon. He matched his career-high with 10 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. 9. RODMAN NOEL vs. CENTRAL FLORIDA, 2014 Quarterback Jacoby Brissett won the St. Petersburg Bowl's MVP in the 34-27 win over UCF. However, Noel's performance on defense was just as crucial to the win. He finished with a co-team-high eight tackles, including a pair for loss. 10. WIL BAUMANN at BOSTON COLLEGE, 2013 During his junior season, Baumann had one of the best punting afternoons in school history. He kicked eight times for 397 yards, an average of 49.6 yards a punt. That tied for the 17th best average ever at NCSU in a single game, but only one of those efforts ahead of him (Craig Salmon versus Pittsburgh in 1987) also punted eight times in a game. Ten of the 16 punted half or fewer than Baumann's eight tries. TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE CLASS OF 2011 Mike Rose recorded three of his team-high 10.5 sacks in 2015 while helping the Wolfpack win in at Wake Forest for the first time since 2001. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN